


It Takes a Village

by BacktraF



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Dad Ganon, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Original characters are for the purpose of filling roles, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, son link, they aren't the main focus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 05:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16470029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BacktraF/pseuds/BacktraF
Summary: Hyrule's King has been overthrown and many Hylians attempt to make an escape from the cruel treatment of their new ruler. Many of them are unsuccessful, being killed in their attempt. One such group of Hylians makes it as far as the Gerudo desert before they are caught. Ganon comes across this wreckage, and finds the sole survivor. A child, no older than a year, and struggling to survive. Ganon makes a choice, and that choice changes his life for the better.





	It Takes a Village

"We need to work together, especially with the season of rain coming up. Worrying about outsiders coming into our lands will do no good. They are refugees fleeing the war and their nation that is working hard to oppress them. They should be the least of our problems. We need to be preparing out fields for our crops." Ganondorf stood before the Gerudo council, an adamant look on his face.

All eyes of the council studied him before the eldest of them spoke up. "Despite your youth and inexperience with these matters, you speak wise words. Sisters, Ganon is right. While we should remain vigilant, we cannot let the Hylians crossing the desert distract us from the upcoming rain."

The male Gerudo felt a small twinge of pride in his chest as the council all began to nod their heads in agreement.

The eldest turned her gaze back towards him again. "It has been settled. We will send out a nightly scout to check the surrounding areas, but we will focus on the upcoming season. Ganondorf, you will be the first scout for tonight's run."

Ganon bowed. "It would be my honor." Standing up, he turned on his heel and walked out with calm air about him. Once he was out of the room, he released his breath and his hand flew up to his chest. He had a lot to prove in there especially with the hope that he would become ruler of the Gerudo. While King Ganon sounded nice, he had a lot riding on his ability to lead. Carefully taking in another breath, he sighed and calmed himself. He could do this.

Adjusting his tunic, Ganon walked out of the building and looked out at the village. The season of rain brought together all of the Gerudo villages to celebrate another harvest. All around, it was Ganon's favorite time of year. Smiling to himself, he made his way home, deciding he should get some rest before the scouting run tonight.

____

Ganon walked towards the gate to the village, adjusting his armor and making sure his spear was secured to his back. Overhead, the sun was sinking below the horizon, a chilling breeze marking the coming night. Ganon pulled his cloak tighter around himself before mounting his horse, and galloping past the gate. The guards saluted behind him as he left.

As he made his way around the dunes his eyes scanned the desert, searching for anything out of place. Wandering the area, he let his mind think about what he needed to do. Being the only male Gerudo in generations put a lot on his shoulders. He was destined to be King, is what the always told him, and as long as he didn't screw anything up, he had the potential of not fading into history as a failure. He let out a sigh and wiped his hand down his face. That's a lot to dump on someone who didn't ask for it.

Bringing his attention back to the task at hand, he continued his trek across the sand. At one point, he felt it start to get colder, so he wrapped himself as tight as he could in his cloak. As soon as he finished doing so, something white one his left side, caught his eye. Turning to look at it, he saw a white wolf, standing only a few meters away as it stared at him. Immediately he reached for his spear and took aim at it, before it merely blinked and turned around. It began walking away slowly, momentarily looking back at the Gerudo.

Ganon sat there, taken aback at the action. Questions began to rise in his mind. Why was there a wolf in the middle of the desert? Does it want me to follow it? And if that is true, why?

His mind immediately told him that, yes it does want him to follow, and his gut told him that he should. Despite his better judgement, he did just that, allowing the wolf to lead him. Ganon learned to trust his gut more than anything else, so why would today be any different?

The wolf continued walking for what felt like while, occasionally looking back to make sure that Ganon was still following. As they continued, the Gerudo saw what looked like smoke in the distance, and his eyes widened in shock. Immediately he spurred the horse into a full gallop, not noticing that the wolf just suddenly disappeared. As he got closer, he slowed the horse to a stop and jumped off, noting that this was the burning wreckage of a caravan. He quickly searched through the ruins, trying to find survivors, only to find the corpses of Hylians inside the wagons.

Ganon had to step away for a moment, feeling a sense of dread and panic rise within him. These were refugees. Very rarely would bandits even think about traversing the desert to hit a caravan. Not to mention, there were many obvious valuables still within the carts. That means that the Hylian soldiers tracked them out this far and simply slaughtered them because they weren't allowed to leave. He had to get back to the village and warn them.

As he turned to go towards his horse, he heard a small gasp. His steps paused and he listened to make sure he wasn't hearing things. Again the noise came and he turned back towards the wagons, searching for the source of the noise, the quiet gasping becoming more frequent. Finally he went to the back of the last wagon and found a Hylian woman, clutching a small bundle of cloth. The bundle moved slightly and another series of hitching gasps came from it. 

Quickly but carefully, he pried the woman's arms open, understanding that those were the cries of a child. As he pulled the bundle closer to himself, he peeled back the cloth from the child's face, pale skin coming into view. Tears were streaked down the child's face, which was still contorted as if he were crying, though no sounded came from his mouth save for the small gasps. Ganon gently felt the baby's cheek and realized how cold he was. Without jostling the child too much, he mounted his horse and rode back as swiftly as he could back to the village.

As he arrived back in the village, he was met by two of the guards, also mounted on horses and, by the looks of it, ready to head out the gates.

"Ganon! You're late! We were about to head out for a search." One of them spoke up.

Ganon nodded, a solemn look on his face. "I'm aware. I found something disturbing."

The other guard got off her horse and caught up to him, trying to look at the bundle in his arms. "What's that?"

"A Hylian child." He replied, simply and to the point.

"What!? A Hylian child?"

"I found the child among the rubble of a raided caravan... refugees. I need to confront the council about it tomorrow, but my priority right now is to make sure this child does not die."

Both of the guards exchanged glances as Ganondorf pushed past them, heading to the healer's home. Hopefully she would not react poorly to the child. As soon as he arrived, he began pounding on her door, and not long after, she opened the door. The look of distress on Ganon's face was enough to set her on edge.

"Ganon? What's wrong?" Concern flashed through her eyes before she looked to the bundle of cloth.

"Nadia, I need you to check on this child, make sure he'll live." He answered quickly.

"Child? Who's child? Is the mother alright?" Nadia asked as Ganon pushed past her into her home. She grabbed the male Gerudo by his arm. "Ganon!"

"It's a Hylian child. I found him in the wreckage of a refugee caravan." Ganon answered. He laid the child on a table and began unwrapping him. "Please, I will take him before the council tomorrow, but right now I need to make sure he will live."

Nadia straightened her back and stepped forward, immediately checking the child over, noting that he was still a bit too cold, but at least he was warming up. She continued to aid him in warming up more and steadily, he began to open his eyes again. "Ganon, he's going to be hungry. Go grab the container of powdered milk and mix it with some water."

Hurriedly, Ganon did as she asked while she continued to check the child over. When he came back to her side, she spoke again.

"This boy makes no noises. Something is wrong with his voice. Only time may tell, but he may never be able to use it." She took the container of milk from Ganon before grabbing a clean cloth and soaking a corner of it in the milk. After a moment, she brought it to his lips and smiled as he eagerly opened his mouth to suck on the cloth. "He was definitely hungry." Nadia smiled as she continued to feed him. "So you found him in the wreckage of a caravan, hmm?"

Ganon nodded slowly and brought a hand up to rub at his eyes. He was exhausted and his mind was still going a mile a minute. "I not afraid to admit that I was wrong. But what does concern me is who attacked them. As far as I could tell, nothing of value was taken, so these couldn't have been just some bandits. It has to have been the Hylian soldiers that followed them all the way out here and wiped them out."

Nadia's expression turned serious. "You think they'll come here?"

I don't know, but whatever we do, we need to be prepared for whatever may happen." Sighing, Ganon looked at the boy still sucking on the cloth. The child looked back at him and a small smile broke out on his tiny face. Ganon couldn't stop himself from smiling back.

"Well at least we know he likes you." Nadia stated, breaking the silence with smirk on her face.

Ganon rolled his eyes before releasing another sigh. He opened his mouth to respond, but Nadia quickly cut him off.

"Leave the child with me for the night. You need to go home and get some rest. I have a feeling that you will have a lot to do tomorrow."

Shutting his mouth, he could only nod as exhaustion seemed to grip him tightly suddenly. "Alright... you're sure it is alright to leave the child with you for now?"

Nadia fixed him with an unimpressed look. "Ganon, I offered. I've dealt with children before, now go home and sleep. You can pick him up in the morning." She cradled the child who had taken to playing with her hair.

Finally the male Gerudo relented and said his goodbyes before heading home, though he found that he couldn't sleep as easily as he wanted to. There was too much to think about, especially since he had to announce a meeting with the council in the morning. What were they going to do with the child? Harboring any Hylian in a village or city that was outside of Hyrule was declared an act of war. Even if it was just a child. Ever since the King had been overthrown, Hyrule had been practically locked down. Hylians have attempted to escape repeatedly, mostly to no avail.

Those who have been found hiding the refugees were instantly slaughtered or had war declared on them. The Gerudo tribes had so far stayed out of the war, by firmly, but not without regret, turning away caravans that came to them. The council would surely hate him for endangering their tribes. But it was just a baby. He went back and forth with himself, reasoning and berating himself before he finally passed out from exhaustion. He'll have to see what the council tells him in the morning.

____

Ganon awoke the next morning, his mind racing to remember everything that had happened last night. As soon as he recalled, he bolted upright and got up, quickly getting ready. He stepped outside, grabbing the first guard he saw.

"Thalli, I need you to gather the council immediately. Tell them that it is urgent and that I will be with them shortly."

With a quick nod, she sprinted off while Ganon made his way back to Nadia's home. Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand to knock on the door, hesitating slightly when he heard the soft laughter of the healer. Swallowing thickly, he knocked and waited for her to answer. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Nadia's radiant smile as she held the familiar bundle in her arms.

"I was wondering when you would show up!" She seemed slightly out of breath as the small child moved his hands to try to get her attention again.

"Having fun?" Ganon asked, amused.

"He is such a loving child, I almost hesitate to hand him off... Oh! I should let you know, I found this on him." She reached out of view and grabbed a small locket with a name engraved on it. "It seems like this little Hylian's name is Link."

"Well Link, we need to go meet the council now." Ganon paused and looked up to Nadia. "Would you be willing to accompany me?"

Looking up at him in return, she smiled. "I would gladly join you."

Taking a deep breath, the both stepped out of the healer's home and made their way towards the center of their village. Silence overtook them and anyone could tell that Ganon was nervous. Nadia wanted to say something to comfort him, to get him to smile. As she opened her mouth, Ganon beat her to it, speaking first.

"They're going to make me kill him." He said quietly. "I wish I wouldn't have found him. Nadia, I can't do it."

The healer was startled when Ganon suddenly looked at her, his eyes silently pleading for something.

"Ganon, they won't make you kill him. He's just a child."

"They had us turn away all of those other refugees, what's so different about a child."

"He is only one child instead of ten or more adults. Besides we never killed them, simply turned them away-"

"Turning them away is the same as killing them. Don't say it is not."

Nadia stopped moving and placed her free hand on Ganon's shoulder. "If they try to throw him out or make you kill him, I will defend you." Link shifted in her arms, and his face peeked out, a shy smile on his face.

Ganon laughed lightly and shook his head. "Thank you. Let us go meet them." Straightening his back, he marched on with more confidence.

Finally stepping into the building, Ganon motioned for Nadia to wait there so he could talk to them first. As he moved to the center of the room, the eldest spoke first.

"How did your venture fair last night? The guard said you wanted to meet with us urgently."

"It did not fair well. I found something disturbing and I won't hesitate to admit that I was wrong."

"Wrong how?" She asked, ignoring the murmurs of concern from the other members.

"As I scouted, I came across a white wolf that led me to the wreckage of a Hylian refugee caravan. Nothing of value looked like it was taken, so it had to have been the Hylian soldiers." He paused, letting the information sink in before continuing. "Among the wreckage was one survivor."

Extending his hand, he motioned for Nadia to step forward. She immediately moved to Ganon's side and pulled the cloth off of the child's head, revealing the Hylian that was within their walls. The younger members of the council gasped and a few whispered that Ganon had signed their death warrant. Ganon stood, unwavering in their not so subtle judgement.

"A Hylian child?" The eldest spoke again, leaning forward as if intrigued.

"Get rid of it!" Another elder huffed.

"It's only a child!" Yet another reasoned.

Bickering erupted from the council as they argued on how to best handle the situation. Ganon began to crack, fear and regret on his decision resurfacing.

"Enough!"

Everyone immediately silenced and looked to the eldest once more. "Ganon, bring the child to me."

Only hesitating for a moment, Ganon took the child carefully from Nadia and walked up to her. Gently she took the child and looked him over, watching a smile break out on the baby's face as he reached out to her. She immediately took notice of the locket with the engraved name.

"His name is Link? And a white wolf led you to him?"

"Yes." He responded, unable to stop the nervous crack in his voice.

"I think you were supposed to find him, be it because of the gods or some other supernatural force."

"But the war that this will cause, Hela!" A voice came from their side.

"Any war that comes will not be at the fault of this child. The Hylian soldiers have already shown how far they will go to get a few refugees. If the show up here, with or without the child, we will have a war on our hands." That silenced any further protests. "Ganon, I am charging you with the task of raising this child. He will grow up as a Gerudo. As for the wreckage you found, we will discuss further on how to proceed. For now, go home with the child."

Ganon nodded his head in acknowledgement before taking the child, still in shock about what had just happened. After making it outside, he paused and looked down at the small child in his arms, a realization dawning on him.

"I have no clue how to take care of a child."

Nadia walked up next to him and smiled. "I will help you and show you how to raise him, Ganon. I have to admit, though, I never thought I'd see our fearless leader become a father."

The male Gerudo grimaced in response before looking back down when he felt a tug on his clothes. Link was looking up at him with wide eyes, curiosity in his gaze his lips were pursed as if he were trying to coo at Ganon, but as before, no noise escaped.

"It seems he may be mute, but I'm sure you can handle him. He will grow up strong. It takes a village to raise a child, Ganon. You aren't alone in this.

"Thank you, Nadia. I am grateful to you."

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because I needed an excuse to write Dad Ganon, and Child Link. I just love this AU so much and I don't see enough of it, so I decided to add to it! Also I took a lot of liberties with how the Gerudo live and names and such. With multiple time lines and the like, I'm sure it's reasonable.


End file.
